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With less than a month left until the NFL draft, teams are finalizing their draft rankings and stacking their big boards before they establish a plan of action for the draft starting April 27th. As we’ve done every step of the way updating you on the latest player movement in the draft here’s another update of our big board as we near the final stretch.
Below you’ll find our updated top 100 in our seventh updated version of the rankings before we expand things right before draft day. Here below are the biggest risers and fallers on our board.
Stock Up
Kevin King, DB, Washington
This cornerback class keeps on getting more interesting and with a jam-packed class with lots of players dripping with potential but few truly sure things more separation has been created in the group. While some are starting to slip – see below – King has risen up the ranks more and more.
His appeal lies in his long frame perfectly suited in a press scheme combined with flashes of great long speed, something he confirmed at the combine. He’s also sticky as a cover man and plays with an edge. Watch him on film and you’ll see a willing tackler who uses his length and speed well who conceded close to nothing this past season to opposing wideouts. King is skinny and will need to add some muscle to avoid getting pushed around by bigger guys but he’s got the instincts and speed to recover quickly.
Don’t be surprised if he pushes his way into the first round by the end of the month.
Chidobe Awuzie, DB, Colorado
Awuzie’s end of season turf toe injury didn’t help his stock as he struggled in his final bowl game and was unable to attend the Senior Bowl. But the arrows pointing back up after phenomenal combine and pro day workouts.
Awuzie is just a dog and a complete football player. Now that he’s proven he can run with the best of them and has hips that are beyond fluid he could go very high with the first round not being out of the question. He’s a modern defender who would be an ace in sub packages and can be a factor both in the slot and on the outside. The Philadelphia Eagles amongst all teams seem to have shown significant interest having sat down with him twice already.
Awuzie isn’t the only member of the Buffs secondary that keeps rising up our board. Ahkello Witherspoon has put up a great season adding outstanding testing numbers. Even though his physicality as a tackler must improve he’s no more flawed than most of the top corners in this loaded class and has as much upside as anyone. Don’t be surprised to see Witherspoon go early in round two.
Jarrad Davis, OLB, Florida
Davis’ big question mark will be his injury history as he missed games in 2016 and didn’t always look at full strength when he did play. He also was forced to miss the combine as he recovered from the high-ankle sprain that affected him throughout his senior year.
But Davis’ stock is back up after a fantastic pro day running a 4.58 40 while jumping 38.5 inches on his vertical and completing 23 reps on the bench press. All those numbers would have been top five results for a linebacker in the class had he been in Indianapolis at the combine.
More importantly, Davis’ tape is completely in line with those athletic test results as he’s a great sideline-to-sideline player, who plays with a relentless tenacity. Davis is slowly moving up and should be taken in the early second round. Don’t be surprised if he goes even higher as teams will be enamored with his attitude and play. He’s a true football player.
T.J. Watt, EDGE, Wisconsin
Watt’s continued his meteoric rise after a breakout season at Wisconsin where he was a force rushing the passer from the outside. After testing out as one of the best linebackers at the combine his tape indicates that he could play as an outside backer at the next level as well.
While most of the talk will rightfully be centered around his ability to rush the passer, his ability to drop into coverage really stands out the more you watch him with the Badgers. He also is a very efficient run defender who has the power to hold the edge and also a good range to really create havoc as a backside defender in pursuit.
Watt’s still raw but the versatility and well-rounded skill set he’s shown in the little time he’s played at the Power Five level is very encouraging.
Trey Hendrickson, EDGE, Florida Atlantic
Hendrickson has become a hot commodity after being the Shrine Game’s defensive MVP and then flashing some high-level athleticism at the combine. He’s turned into the popular later round pick for teams searching for a diamond in the rough at defensive end but he’s a legitimate talent that could go in round two.
On tape Hendrickson plays with a reckless abandon that’s contagious when you watch him, he has good speed off the snap and is fairly stout against the run. His potential as a pass rusher with a developing arsenal of moves is intriguing and he’s shown enough movement skills to play in a 3-4 as an outside backer or a defensive end in a 4-3.
His biggest concern is his length as his arms measured extremely short but the tape and tested athleticism make him quite intriguing.
Josh Jones, SS, NC State
Jones is another big riser from the combine workouts where he was a top performer in every test he chose to perform. Not just a freakish athlete he also possesses dangerous size at 6-foot-1 and 220 pounds.
With the Wolfpack, he was probably used deep more often than he should have, but as an in the box intimidator he looks perfectly suited. Jones can come downhill in a hurry and when he closes on a play he does so with bad intentions. In a loaded safety class, he’s emerging as another legitimate starter at the next level. Every year we seem to get surprised by safeties getting vaulted into the first round, Jones and Obi Melifonwu are this year’s candidates to do so.
Stock down
Jalen ‘Teez’ Tabor, CB, Florida
Tabor is one of the biggest losers of the offseason, which should always be taken with a grain of salt, but certainly doesn’t bode well for the Florida star. After running an astonishingly slow 4.62 40-yard dash at the combine he’s made things worse by running a 40 in the 4.7s at his pro day. When all he’s had to do this offseason is prepare for athletic testing a worse score a month later is troubling.
In a loaded cornerback class with 20 possible starting talents (typically players who go in the top three rounds) that’s really bad and with everyone grouped together so closely in the top tier he’s falling out of the first round conversation.
Going back to Tabor’s tape he’s far from slow on the field as he looks like a quick twitch athlete. However, he often gets burned underneath as he leaves big cushions to opposing receivers. Now it all makes sense as he was scared to get burned deep.
His effort level and attitude have been put into question during this process and there’s some of that which shows up on the tape on a second look. He’s also on the smaller side compared to his peers, lacks physicality at the line and on contested catches which will limit him to only certain defensive systems. Tabor is still a top 100 pick on our board but don’t be surprised if he gets passed on for other guys with more size and tested speed dropping way lower than his talents deserve.
Sidney Jones, CB, Washington
Another cornerback who’s really suffered from the pro day circuit and not because of any athletic testing numbers. Jones suffered an Achilles tear while going through drills and has since had surgery. The surgery’s reportedly gone well and he should be ready to go in his rookie season, but the timing of the injury certainly couldn’t be worst.
Jones is a major talent and remains my second best player at the position despite the injury. However, with the incredible depth at corner, he could get pushed much further down than his talent would ever merit. If that’s the case and all goes well with his recovery someone could be getting a true steal and top 10 talent on the second day of the draft.
Zach Cunningham, LB, Vanderbilt
Cunningham remains a personal favorite and a very good fit in the modern NFL thanks to his sideline-to-sideline skills. But he’s losing ground to others and isn’t looking as complete or consistent as initially thought.
Cunningham is on the lighter side and it shows when he has to sift through traffic and take on blockers. He also really struggles to tackle in the open field at times not a good sign for a mostly off the linebacker.
On top of that, he tested below expectations in Indianapolis signs that are worrisome when he’s not the most stout. Still a worth while top 60 pick, the first round conversation seems a bit too rich now and guys like Davis are surpassing him in the linebacker rankings.
Jourdan Lewis, CB, Michigan
Lewis is another cornerback that’s dropping and it’s not just because of his size or that he tested below expectations at the combine. Lewis’ bigger issue is that he’s been accused of assaulting his girlfriend a charge that he’s pleaded not guilty to.
The timing of the incident couldn’t be worst for Lewis and teams will have to quickly get to the bottom of the incident and figure out all the details. In this day and age, even the accusation of violence towards a woman can be absolutely destructive to a prospect’s stock. The fact that Lewis is shorter and on the slower side of this loaded corner class makes things even worst. His drop could be massive.
For now, as we await more clarity on the incident he’s still in the top 100 but don’t be surprised if he slips to the draft’s third day where he could be a steal if the character questions check out.
Demarcus Walker, DE, Florida State
Walker still garners lots of attention from media types but his NFL fit won’t be easy to find. The FSU pass rusher’s big issue is that he’s a tweeter and finding a fit for him as a run defender is very difficult.
He struggled in the ACC both on the outside where he was exposed in space and isn’t stout enough up the middle where he’ll get pushed downfield by double blocks. I’ve rarely seen a player struggle more against the run on the outside and inside. Walker could be a successful interior rusher used as a situational player with good burst off the line – ran a 4.76 at 280 pounds on his pro day – but that won’t get you drafted high. He’s currently dropped off our top 100 and won’t be reappearing any time soon.
Always in Tallahassee, Dalvin Cook repaired his stock some with a nice pro day showing after a disappointing combine. But more and more rumors are swirling of his stock dropping as teams are concerned about a 2014 incident in which he was found not guilty of misdemeanor battery assault for having punched a woman in the face. He also had another incident in which he was cited the same year for having neglected his puppies. That plus some injury concerns and a blah showing in Indy seem to be hurting Cook’s stock. For now, he only slips one spot on my board becoming the third running back in the class as Christian McCaffrey surpasses him. But there are increasingly growing character concerns.
Top 100 Big Board
Note players marked with an asterisk(*) have off-field concerns that are holding their stock back.
1. Myles Garrett, DE, Texas A&M
2. Malik Hooker, FS, Ohio State
3. Leonard Fournette, RB, LSU
4. Jonathan Allen, DE, Alabama
5. Solomon Thomas, DE, Stanford
6. Reuben Foster, ILB, Alabama
7. Marshon Lattimore, CB, Ohio State
8. Jamal Adams, SS, LSU
9. Takkarist McKinley, EDGE, UCLA
10. Christian McCaffrey, RB, Stanford
11. Dalvin Cook, RB, Florida State*
12. Jabrill Peppers, DB, Michigan
13. O.J. Howard, TE, Alabama
14. Haason Reddick, OLB, Temple
15. Corey Davis, WR, Western Michigan
16. Sidney Jones, CB, Washington
17. Evan Engram, TE, Ole Miss
18. Derek Barnett, DE, Tennessee
19. DeShaun Watson, QB, Clemson
20. Taco Charlton, DE, Michigan
21. David Njoku, TE, Miami
22. Marlon Humphrey, CB, Alabama
23. Budda Baker, FS, Washington
24. Chidobe Awuzie, DB, Colorado
25. Ryan Ramczyk, LT, Wisconsin
26. Mike Williams, WR, Clemson
27. Curtis Samuels, WR/RB, Ohio State
28. Kevin King, DB, Washington
29. Carl Lawson, DE, Auburn
30. Joe Mixon, RB, Oklahoma*
31. John Ross, WR, Washington
32. Tre’Davious White, CB, LSU
33. Forrest Lamp, OG, Western Kentucky
34. Jarrad Davis, OLB, Florida
35. D’Onta Foreman, RB, Texas
36. Mitchell Trubisky, QB, UNC
37. T.J. Watt, EDGE, Wisconsin
38. Malik McDowell, DT, Michigan State*
39. Eddie Jackson, FS, Alabama
40. Zach Cunningham, LB, Vanderbilt
41. Gareon Conley, CB, Ohio State
42. Tim Williams, OLB/EDGE, Alabama*
43. Tedric Thompson, FS, Colorado
44. Derek Rivers, EDGE, Youngstown State
45. Ahkello Witherspoon, CB, Colorado
46. Charles Harris, EDGE, Missouri
47. JuJu Smith-Schuster, WR, USC
48. Quincy Wilson, CB, Florida
49. Caleb Brantley, DT, Florida
50. Garett Bolles, OT, Utah
51. Obi Melifonwu, S, Uconn
52. Cam Robinson, OT, Alabama*
53. Marlon Mack, RB, South Florida
54. ArDarius Stewart, WR, Alabama
55. Trey Hendrickson, EDGE, Florida Atlantic
56. Jamaal Williams, RB, BYU
57. Fabian Moreau, CB, UCLA
58. Montravius Adams, DT, Auburn
59. Chris Wormley, DT, Michigan
60. Brian Hill, RB, Wyoming
61. Alvin Kamara, RB, Tennessee
62. Cordrea Tankersley, CB, Clemson
63. Bucky Hodges, TE, Virginia Tech
64. Josh Jones, S, NC State
65. Adoree Jackson, CB/WR/PR, USC
66. DeShone Kizer, QB, Notre Dame
67. Antonio Garcia, OT, Troy
68. Taylor Moton, RT, Western Michigan
69. Dede Westbrook, WR, Oklahoma*
70. Wayne Gallman, RB, Clemson
71. Jordan Willis, EDGE, Kansas State
72. Jalen ‘Teez’ Tabor, CB, Florida
73. Raekwon McMillan, ILB, Ohio Sate
74. Jourdan Lewis, CB, Michigan*
75. Marcus Williams, S, Utah
76. Patrick Mahomes, QB, Texas Tech
77. Dan Feeney, OG, Indiana
78. Marcus Maye, FS, Florida
79. Tarell Basham, DE, Ohio
80. Chris Godwin, WR, Penn State
81. Justin Evans, FS, Texas A&M
82. Ethan Pocic, OC, LSU
83. Gerald Everett, TE, South Alabama
84. Steven Taylor, OLB, Houston
85. Jarron Jones, DT, Notre Dame
86. Jaleel Johnson, DT, Iowa
87. Damontae Kazee, CB, San Diego State
88. Taywan Taylor, WR, Western Kentucky
89. Jake Butt, TE, Michigan
90. Dion Dawkins, OT, Temple
91. Rasul Douglas, CB, West Virginia
92. Cooper Kupp, WR, Eastern Washington
93. Jeremy McNichols, RB, Boise State
94. Joe Williams, RB, Utah
95. Zay Jones, WR, East Carolina
96. Nico Siragusa, OG, San Diego State
97. Tyus Bowser, OLB/EDGE, Houston
98. Ryan Anderson, OLB, Alabama
99. Amara Darboh, WR, Michigan
100. Jordan Leggett, TE, Clemson
Just missed the cut
Adam Shaheen, TE, Ashland
Elijah Qualls, DT, Washington
Desmond King, CB, Iowa
Devin Tomlinson, NT, Alabama
Cameron Sutton, CB, Tennessee
Kareem Hunt, RB, Toledo
Anthony Walker, LB, Northwestern
Carlos Henderson, WR, Louisiana Tech
Dawuane Smoot, EDGE, Illinois
Daeshon Hall, DE, Texas A&M